From No To Yes
by booksdefygravity
Summary: 53 Times. 53 times, James has asked Lily out, and every single time, she's said no. But James is determined that no matter how many tries it takes, someday, he'll turn that no into a yes.
1. Chapter 1

From No to Yes

Lily shivered.

It was only October, just a month into the Hogwarts school year, but already, the winter chill was beginning to settle in. She wished the stormy wind would die down just a little bit. Her long, red hair was blown this way and that, tangled around her face in unfortunate knots.

She didn't want to walk past Potter looking like that.

Not, of course, that she cared what Potter thought of her. But Potter was always with his friends, and they—well, Sirius—loved to make fun of her.

Actually, ever since _The Incident _a year ago, Potter had been weirdly nice to her. He waited for her between classes, invited her to eat lunch with them, and gave her compliments almost daily. It was obvious he was sucking up to her, but for what reason?

Maybe he was the sort of boy that was determined to get the girl and then dump her after the first date. After all, he did keep asking her to go out with him, for whatever reason.

Yes, there they were: Potter, Sirius, Remus, and Peter, laughing and shouting like they owned the place, standing right next to the door.

The moment she neared them, Potter made a loud shushing noise, and they all shut up. She deliberately ignored them, staring determinedly at the castle door.

"You look like you've had a little fight with the wind, Evans," called Sirius. "And I think you've lost."

She couldn't resist responding. "Well, it looks like you've had a little fight with—oh, right, you would never fight anyone. Just too afraid of messing up your looks, aren't you, Black?"

"Oh, come on, Evans," said Potter. "He was just kidding."

"The same goes for you, Potter," she said, reaching the door. Potter was standing in front of it, blocking the door.

"Excuse me," she said, hoping that if she was polite, he would just let her by.

"Please, Evans," he said, looking at her with pleading brown eyes. "Come on, just give me a chance. Just one date."

"Let me by, Potter, or I'll hex you," she responded calmly, pulling out her wand.

He backed away. He had been at the receiving end of more than one of Lily's hexes, and he didn't care to repeat the experience.

She swept past him without another word, her red hair dancing in the wind.

"Sorry, dude," said Sirius. From his pocket, he produced a piece of paper. It had clearly been folded and unfolded a great number of times. He made a small mark and glanced up at James. "That's the fifty-third time she's said no, man. Maybe you should just accept it and move on."

"No way," protested James, sitting down on a stone bench. "I'm not going to let her slip through my fingers. She's the one. I know she is. I just have to come up with a way to convince her. And I'm _not_ going to stop trying until I turn that no into a yes."


	2. Chapter 2: Book

Chapter Two:

The next evening, Lily was curled up in front of the fireplace, reading a book. It was a fascinating story, and she loved it, but she couldn't remember where she had gotten it from. She had simply found it buried in the bottom of her trunk, wrapped in shiny green wrapping paper.

Then she remembered.

_She had bought it her sixth year at Hogwarts, as a birthday present for Severus, wrapped it up, and hidden it in the bottom of her trunk. She knew that the other girls disapproved of her friendship with Severus, particularly Mary, who thought he was "The Hogwarts equivalent of that one kid in Muggle high schools that always dresses in black and has weird piercings and stares at people creepily in the hallways, only without the weird piercings."_

_But then…_

_Then The Incident had occurred, and she didn't speak to Severus again._

She tossed the book into the fireplace like it was coated in poison.

"Bad book?" said a voice from behind her.

She sighed. "Potter, really. Leave me alone."

"Aww, you recognize my voice from behind. That's adorable," said James, sitting down next to her. She realized that the two of them were the only people left in the common room.

"You know, Potter," she said, turning to face him, "Underneath your arrogant, selfish, stupid exterior, you're a helpless romantic."

"You forgot snot-nosed," he said, grinning at her.

"Arrogant, selfish, stupid, snot-nosed exterior," she amended, tucking a few stray strands of hair behind her ears.

"You know, as your insulting tirades go, that one wasn't too insulting," said James. "I think I'm making some serious progress."

"Give it up, Potter," said Lily, getting to her feet and glancing around the deserted, candle-lit common room. She gazed down on him. "I'm never going to yes."

James raised his eyebrows. "Wanna make a bet on that?"

"See, you even have gambling problems," she said. "Why on earth would I go out with you?"

"I'll make you a list, if you like," said James.

"You do that," said Lily. "I'm going to bed."

"Goodnight, Evans," he sang. "Oh, wait, I forgot to ask. Would you like to go out with me?"

She sighed. "Good night, Potter."


	3. Chapter 3: Methods

**I don't know how to do that nifty little thing where you put notes at the beginning of chapters, so I'm just putting it directly before the text. But anyways, thanks so much for the follows/favorites/reviews! I've never tried writing a multi-chapter fanfiction story before, and I've never really had very many views, so it's super exciting! Anyways, here's Chapter Three!**

Chapter Three:

"My method clearly isn't working," said James, snatching a strip of bacon from Remus's plate.

"What method?" asked Remus absent-mindedly, staring down at his huge Arithmancy book. "I thought you were just asking her every chance you got until you eventually wore her down and got her to say yes."

"Dude. That was the method," said James, leaning his forehead against his hand.

"Oh, right, sorry. Do you know what the equation for transcolaborative ritron displacement is?"

"Dude," said Sirius, sitting down at the table, his hair still wet from his morning bath. Multiple girls glanced over, clearly enjoying the view. "I don't even know what the trans-hokey ritrol discombobulating actually _is, _much less the equation." He leaned over and cast his most charming look on Alice Selwyn. "Hey, Alice."

"Dating Frank," she said, without even glancing up from her _Charms Weekly._

"Oh, shoot, Alice," he said. "Sorry. Forgot." He slid away from her.

"That was like, the opposite of smooth," said James. "At least Lily isn't dating anybody."

"I wouldn't count on that," said Sirius, nodding towards the opposite end of the table, where Lily sat, her green eyes sparkling as she chatted with at least three other boys. "_All _the guys like her."

James glanced up quickly. "Do you?"

"Bro, I wouldn't even think about it," said Sirius, biting a large chunk out of a muffin. "I mean, sure, she's attractive, but A) Bro Code and B) She's kind of scary."

"I think this may have turned into a bit of an unhealthy obsession," muttered Remus absently. "Maybe some sort of _ineaqualibas complex._"

"You think I have a medical condition?" said James, punching Remus in the arm.

"Ouch!" Remus looked up, a wounded expression on his face. "You like here, she doesn't like you, which makes you want her more, which makes you obsessive, which makes her back off more, and around and around it goes."

"That does not make me _obsessive," _said James irritably. "That makes me determined in a completely normal, healthy, and endearing way."

"Whatever you say," said Remus, already submerged in his books once again.

"Come on, guys," said James impatiently. "I need a new strategy."

"Try doing something sweet and romantic," suggested Alice Selwyn, without even glancing up from her paper."

James blinked and stared at her. "What?"

She set aside her paper. "Remus is right. You're being too systematic, too pushy. Lily thinks you don't actually like her. She thinks you just hate not getting what you want."

"He does," said Sirius, grinning. "This one time, after that awful Slytherin-Ravenclaw match—

"Sirius, not now," said Alice firmly. She turned back towards James. "You need to stop being so pushy. Back off a little bit. Be polite, be friendly. Maybe Lily will start to forget everything she thinks about you."

"But how?" demanded James.

Alice grinned. "Stay out of detention for one week." And with that, she was gone.


	4. Chapter 4: Plans

Chapter Four:

"_A whole week?" _said Sirius with disbelief. "A _week?_ Dude, you are _screwed."_

"Yeah, according to my calculations, five and one-third days is your maximum," said Lupin. They were huddled outside the Herbology greenhouse, trying to protect their ears and fingertips from the stinging, bitter wind.

"Guys, r-r-relax," said James, his teeth chattering. "It's n-not that h-h-hard. I can stay out of trouble for a week, e-easy."

At that precise moment, Frank Longbottom ran up, clutching a thick woolen sack and looking incredibly pleased with himself. "Look," he whispered, holding out the sack and loosening the top. "Check it out, James! I just discovered the best thing ever. This is going to change our lives."

Slowly and dramatically, James reached out. There was no way for him to know what vile horror lurked in the depths of that sack, but, brave soul that he was, he put on his most determined face, reached in, and slowly, very slowly, pulled out—

"A _cream puff?"_ said James, staring in disbelief at the small, offending pastry. "I thought it was going to be Dungbombs or something!"

"Even better," said Frank Longbottom, reaching into the bag and pulling out a handful of pastries. "Look! I've got donuts, éclairs—

"I'm not sure I understand," said Sirius. "I mean, those are some awesome pastries, man. Like, seriously, bring on those éclairs. But I fail to see how this is going to change our lives."

"I found this _room," _said Frank, lowering his voice to a mysterious whisper. "I don't know how. I was just so hungry, but I was lost and I had no idea where I was. I was pacing back and forth thinking about how much I wanted food and suddenly this door appeared out of nowhere. When I stepped inside, it was full of food. There were just tables and tables and tables. It was crazy."

James's eyes widened. "So you needed something and all of the sudden this room appeared with what you needed in it?"

Sirius's eyes widened. "Man, I just had the most amazing idea."

"What?" James, Remus, Peter, and Frank crowded in on him.

He lowered his voice as he spoke. "What if we made it a room full of stuff for an amazing… _project_?" _Project _was Sirius's code word for _planned incident that goes against a bunch of different rules and gets us into massive amounts of trouble but is sort of fun anyways._

"Like what?" asked Frank, his brow crinkled with confusion.

"You know," said Sirius impatiently. "Something big. Something huge."

"Something that would make us famous," said James excitedly.

"I thought you already were famous, Potter," said a cool voice. "After all, I'm fairly certain your stupidity and pig-headedness is world-renowned."

James turned to see Lily standing behind him, her arms folded across her chest, her red hair swirling about her face, matching the maple leaves blowing in the wind. He tried to say something but found himself stumbling over the words.

"Would you let me by, please?" said Lily. "I'd _hate _to interrupt your _project-planning."_

James stepped aside, still trying to think of something to say, but she had already walked off towards her friends.

"Ugh," he groaned, hitting himself on the head. "I'm such a moron. I am never going to impress her if I keep doing these stupid tricks and getting in trouble."

"Dude, come on," said Sirius. "You're totally overreacting."

James shook his head determinedly. "No, Sirius," he said. "I'm not doing it. I am going to stay out of detention for one week, even if it kills me."

"_What?" _said Sirius, staring at him in horror. "No way, man. I can_not _let you get away with this! This is a _total _violation of the Bro Code. I may have to disown you as a Bro."

"I think James is right," said Frank unexpectedly. "But Alice wouldn't mind. So I'll still do it, Frank."

"So will I," squeaked Peter.

They all turned to look at Remus.

"Oh, no you don't," said Remus. "You remember how this works. I am the intelligent, responsible one that will participate in no way except acting as the smart consultant—for a fee of one hundred Miniature Cherry Cauldron Bombs."

Sirius rolled his eyes. "Who knew werewolves had such a sweet tooth?"

"Shut up, Padfoot," hissed Remus. "Not out here, remember?"

"Whatever you say, Moony. Now, let's get planning. First, we're going to need a list of all the things we need from the room, starting with six hundred sets of Exploding Snap…

James pulled himself away from the planning and leaned casually against the entrance to the greenhouse, trying to look nonchalant as Lily and her friends approached. Lily looked frosty, but Alice smiled encouragingly.

"Not joining in on the top-secret planning, Potter?" asked Lily coolly.

"Nah," said James, trying to sound scornful. "It's kind of stupid and immature, you know? All the pranks and getting in trouble and all that. I think we're too old for that stuff now?"

"Aw, wee baby Potter has grown up at last," said Lily, pushing past him.

"Yes, he has!" called James, but Lily had already entered the greenhouse.

"Ooh, Lily!" whispered Mary McDonald, following Lily into the greenhouse. "I'll never understand why you're so mean to him, I truly never will. I mean, he's been so nice to you this year!"

"One year does not make up for six, Mary," said Lily a little stiffly.

"Don't be made, Lil, but I wish you would be nicer," said Mary anxiously.

Lily sighed and then smiled at her friend. "Don't worry, Mary, I could never be mad at you. But you know that I really don't want to be in a relationship right now."

Mary's eyes widened. "Oh, Lily, I'm so sorry. I forgot that you're still getting over Sever—

"I'm not getting over anyone," Lily cut in. "I've said it a million times, Mary. Me and that person were _just friends. _Nothing _ever _happened between us and that's simply all there is to it."

_She's clearly still in denial, _thought Mary sadly."I think we should do something to cheer her up," she whispered to Alice, who nodded.

"Lily," said Alice aloud, "let's do something fun this weekend."

Lily's eyes were momentarily caught by the group of boys entering the greenhouse, whispering muttering, Potter among them. Then they snapped back to Mary and Alice, gleaming with excitement. "I have a brilliant idea," she said, and the others leaned in closer. As she whispered, they both began to smile mischievously.

"You're a genius," said Alice, but Lily only laughed, her mind already starting to plan.


	5. Chapter 5: Game On

Chapter Five:

It was torture.

Literally. TORTURE.

All he could do was cover up his ears and hum _Moonlight Charmata_, his mother's favorite song, as loud as he dared. Although he doubted Professor Binns would notice, anyhow—these days, the old ghost was so full of dust, he blended in perfectly against the dull color of the walls.

For once in his life, James wished Professor Binns actually paid any attention whatsoever to his students. If he did, then maybe he would tell Sirius, Peter, and Frank to _shut up._

Really, they were driving him crazy. Couldn't they stop talking about "Operation Emerald" for just five minutes? After all, Sirius, his best friend, knew how much James loved to _plan. _For starters, what kind of a name was _Operation Emerald_? And then there was the plan itself— they were going to plant traps all over the school that dropped things like orange jell-o and cotton balls on people's heads. Seriously, what kind of a prank was that? _Morons._

Still, he was determined to go through with it. If this was what it took to win Lily over, so be it.

Something hit him on the back of his head. He stopped humming _Moonlight Charmata _and bent over to pick it up off the floor. It was a crumpled ball of paper. He laid it down on the desk and smoothed it out. It read:

You're so off-key.

That was all.

But James would have recognized that handwriting anywhere. He remembered staring at it all the time in Second-Year Transfiguration class, somehow captivated by the swish of her red hair and the elegant strokes of her quill pen, wishing he could make himself dislike her as much as he disliked her best friend, but never able to do so.

He hesitated for a second before pulling out his own piece of scrap paper and writing:

What, you're no longer ignoring me?

He folded it up and tossed it lightly. It skimmed over Mary Macdonald's head and landed in Lily's lap. She did not look at him as she scribbled something down and flicked it over her shoulder. He caught it easily.

I don't ignore you; I politely refuse to acknowledge your existence.

He grinned as he wrote his reply.

This is you not acknowledging me?

Her dove-feather quill pen seemed to dance across the page as he waited eagerly for her reply.

Hardly. This is me acknowledging that you are a bigheaded, snot-nosed moron, and you are no ever going to win me over. This me acknowledging that maybe you have some sort of magical hidden quality I'm blind to, but I am never going to see it. This is me acknowledging the fact that I am never going to say yes.

He knew that she was trying to push him away, but he didn't care. He wrote only two words in reply:

Game on.


	6. Chapter 6: Sabotage

**AN: I just wanted to apologize to all the lovely people who reviewed this story. I am so sorry for not updating in forever. I know this chapter is very very short, but I promise you a much more satisfactory one, and much more frequent updates, coming soon. Also, check out my new story, "The Rosius Letters" and review that one and this one! You're the best!**

The night Operation Emerald was to take place, James lay in bed, unable to sleep. He couldn't believe that all of his friends were sneaking out to do something kind of lame that was definitely going to get them in trouble, and he wasn't going with them. He felt like he was betraying some kind of pact.

He distracted himself by thinking about Lily. She was never in detention. Maybe, just maybe, seeing James acting responsibly would make her think differently about him.

He shifted uncomfortably and, for the millionth time, checked his watch.

Three minutes had passed.

It was going to be a long night.

* * *

><p>Thirty feet away, in her Gryffindor dormitory, Lily Potter climbed out of bed. She pulled her robes in over the jeans and t-shirt she had slept in, grabbed her wand, and shook Mary and Alice awake.<p>

"Mm," said Alice vaguely. "Whatzgoingon?"

"Get up," said Lily, grinning, her eyes sparkling determinedly. "We have sabotage to perform."


	7. Chapter 7: Your Move

**AN: As promised, another chapter! Since it is now summer, you'll get them much more frequently. Also, thank you to jayknewc for the review, because reading reviews literally makes my day. Anyways, here it is!**

The morning after Operation Emerald, James awoke to the sound of Sirius singing "Oh, What a Beautiful Morning."

"Dude," he moaned, opening his eyes. "You and music do not mix."

Sirius grinned. "Sorry, mate. Don't you ever get random urges to burst into song?"

"In order to maintain public decency, I usually suppress said urges," said James, sitting up and hitting his head. "Ow. Jeez." And then he remembered. "Operation Emerald! How did it go?"

"I can't believe you didn't ask sooner," said Sirius.

Remus sat up, rubbing his eyes. "How long did you get in detention this time?"

"Tsk, tsk," said Sirius. "It's bad to make assumptions, Moony-boy."

"Oh, please," said Remus, getting out of bed and pulling on his robes. "They'll know it was you."

"Come on, man!" begged James. "How did it go?"

"Why don't you come see for yourself?" he said, grinning. "Come on, the Great Hall awaits you! I'll take you on the safe route… probably." He reached for the door and yanked it open.

Immediately, a flurry of pink sparkles poured in his head. There was a brightly colored flash of magic, and suddenly, Sirius's hair was a bright, lurid pink.

James and Remus burst out laughing.

Sirius rounded on them, furious. "Was this you guys?"

They stopped laughing. "This wasn't you?"

At that moment, Frank burst in. "Sirius!" he gasped. "Someone sabotaged our prank!"

"What?" exclaimed Sirius.

"Pink stuff everywhere!" said Frank, looking horrified. "McGonagall got some of it. She's going to kill us. It's like a Valentine's day explosion!"

"Who did this?" said Sirius, grinding his teeth.

"Well, let's see," said a voice from the doorway. "Who do you know who's pretty smart, reasonably good at magic, and hates you?"

James's head jerked up so fast it cramped his neck.

Lily Evans was standing in the doorway.

"You did this?" he said in disbelief. "But you…

"Maybe _I _should dye my hair pink," she said reflectively. "Maybe you just have a thing for redheads and I'm the only one available."

"Since when do you do pranks?" demanded James.

Lily grinned. "What, you don't? Oh, right—you're too mature and goody-goody for that."

James narrowed his eyes. "You're playing games with me."

Lily made her eyes all wide and innocent. "Who, me?"

_She looks really cute and evil when she does that, _thought James. Out loud, he said "Maybe _I_ should dye _my_ hair pink. Maybe you just have an aversion to hot, dark-haired guys."

She raised her eyebrows. "Or maybe I just have an aversion to vain, bigheaded idiots." She tossed him a crumpled-up piece of paper. He caught it without looking away from her face. "Consider this the warning shot, Potter. That's the countercharm. I suggest you go give that to McGonagall, and leave me alone."

She spun around and walked away. Without looking back, she said "Your move, Potter."

And then she was gone.

"Damn," said Sirius, scratching at his pink hair.

"My sentiments exactly," said James.


	8. Chapter 8: An Invitation

**AN: Here you go! See, I told you I would be posting much more frequently. (I think this makes the third or fourth time in 24 hours.) Thanks for reading and thank you for the nice reviews, which are an awesome motivator to continue posting. (Also, disclaimer, I am not the fantastic J.K. Rowling, just in case someone thought that for whatever reason, so no, I do not own Harry Potter**.)

_Chapter Eight_

"You know what? I never thought I'd say this, but Evans might actually be a good fit for you, Prongs. I mean, both of you are devious, evil, fairly intelligent…

"Don't forget stunningly gorgeous," said James, fluttering his eyelashes dramatically.

They were in Advanced Care of Magical Creatures, which they shared with the Ravenclaws. Peter was attempting to feed his thestral, which he couldn't actually see, and Remus was chatting with Minerva Arathinth and her boyfriend, Xenophilius Lovegood.

Sirius and James, meanwhile, were feeding their thestral long strips of raw meat and discussing the latest development with Lily, who was on the other side of the fence, stroking her invisible thestral on the head.

"Stunningly gorgeous?" said Sirius, rolling his eyes. "Yeah, sure. Try telling that to Evans."

"Please," said James. "I'd rather keep my hair black, thank you very much."

Sirius ran his fingers through his no-longer-pink hair. "Speaking of that," he said, "I'm pretty sure there's got to be some sort of retaliation. She's decided to play along with your little game, and you can't let her win."

"This is about proving that I'm not a jerk, Padfoot," said James with annoyance. "It's not about _winning._"

"Wow," said a voice. "Did I just hear Potter say that something _isn't _about winning?"

"Hello, Evans," said James, grinning.

"Hello, Potter," she said, her eyes dancing with mischief. "I suppose you all heard about the party, didn't you?"

"What party?" said Sirius, who loved parties.

"You didn't hear, Sirius?" said Mary McDonald, fluttering her eyelashes flirtatiously. "Ooh, it's going to be great. But only the people with formal invitations can invite other people." She winked at him and held out her arm. "Walk with me?"

Sirius, his expression unreadable, took her arm, and they walked a few feet away, whereupon Mary continued to flip her hair and flutter her eyelashes.

"Just so you know," said Lily, "I am here solely on Mary's behalf. I have no actual desire to speak to you."

James grinned. "So, you said something about a party?"

"Mm, yes," said Lily, looking faintly amused. "Alice and Mary are throwing it in the old theater."

"Cool," said James. The old theater was well-known among the older Hogwarts students. Many years before, Hogwarts had attempted to have some kind of drama club, but after several real basilisk eggs hatched on stage a hundred or so years ago, the program had been shut down and the old theater had been boarded up.

Only a few years earlier, a girl named Myrna Finnegan had managed to find the way inside. News had spread, mainly among the Gryffindors and Ravenclaws, but mostly the old theater was a well-kept secret. They were fairly certain that even the teachers didn't know about it. It wasn't even on the Marauder's Map, since Sirius, James, Remus, and Peter had made the maptheir fourth year.

"It should be interesting," said Lily. "I feel sort of bad for her, though."

"What?" said James, confused.

"Mary," said Lily with a sigh, nodding in the direction of Sirius and Mary. "Although what she sees in him, I don't know."

"I don't think you know a whole lot about people's feelings," said James.

Lily's expression turned icy. "Lovely talking to you, Potter." She turned and walked away.

"Lily!" said James. "I'm sorry, I didn't—

But she was gone.

Gloomily, James fed the thestral the rest of the bloody meat.

"Any luck?" inquired Sirius, coming up beside him.

"None," said James. "How about you?"

"Well, I did score us both invitations," said Sirius, grinning. "As long as I can avoid Mary, it will be fun. Oh, and it's a masquerade."

"A masquerade," said James, an idea beginning to form. A slow smile spread across his face.

"Oh, no," said Sirius. "I do not like the look of your face."

"Tell me, Sirius," said James. "How good are you at magical disguises?"


	9. Chapter 9: Masquerade

Chapter Nine

"Are you sure this is a good idea?" asked Remus, his voice anxious. "Don't you think this will just add to her James-Potter-is-a-lying-jerk theory?"

"Come on, Moony, it's brilliant!" said James, staring in the mirror. Moony and Sirius had done a good job. His hair was red, his eyes hazel. He didn't look anything like himself. And with the mask on, in the dimly lit theater, Lily would never know it was him.

"I'm sure it will go fine," he continued. "Me and Lily will have a conversation. She'll start to think I'm a nice guy. Then I'll reveal that I'm me, and she'll think I'm a nice guy."

"Wait, what?" said Peter.

James rolled his eyes. "Just go with it, Wormtail. Are you guys ready?"

"As soon as Sirius finished putting on his makeup or whatever, we'll be good to go," said Remus.

Sirius emerged from the bathroom and punched Remus on the shoulder. "Come on," he said. "The party starts at midnight."

Ten minutes later, they were slipping through a large crack in the wall, concealed by a heavy velvet tapestry.

The party was clearly already underway. There were stacks of old crates her and there, some holding plates of food, others holding tall candles that cast flickering shadows all over the room. Several couples had already taken advantage of the low lighting and were busy snogging in corners.

"Yuck," said Remus. "You'd think they'd have the decency to hide behind some potted plants or something."

"Oh, come on, Moony," said James. "Put your mask on. Let's have fun." They all pulled out their masks and positioned them on their faces. Loud music was playing from someone's radio, and the stage was crowded with dancers.

"What if someone hears?" asked Peter anxiously.

"We put up a soundproofing spell," said Lily, appearing in front of them. She was wearing a turquoise less dress and sparkly silver earrings. "They won't hear a thing. Now, I know Peter, Remus, and Sirius, of course, but I don't think I've met you."

James grinned and stepped forward. "I'm Jamie Cooper," he said. "Ravenclaw."

"Weird," she said. "I've never seen you around before. Well, Jamie, would you like to dance? Us redheads have got to stick together, you know."

"Sure," he said, trying to conceal his inner delight, and they headed for the stage. Just as they reached it, the song changed to a slow, Celestina Warbeck number called "Bewitched by You."

Lily shrugged. "Well, we can still dance."

James tried to sound casual. "Sure, why not?" They began to slow dance, his hands on her waist, one of hers on his shoulder. To his surprise, he found that it was actually quite awkward. She suddenly seemed rather short. As they danced through several songs, he found that any conversation attempt he made was falling flat.

He started to panic.

_What if I don't actually like her?_

Something felt wrong.

He suddenly realized he hadn't spoken in the last ten minutes and quickly glanced down. His brown eyes met her gray-blue ones.

Gray-blue.

Lily Evans did not have gray-blue eyes.

He dropped his hands from her waist. "Hold on a second," he said, eyes widening. "Lily…

But Lily no longer looked very much like Lily. Her hair seemed more auburn than red—no, brown. It was brown! And her eyes were nowhere near their normal, bright-green color. Furthermore, she was definitely much too short. In fact, she wasn't Lily at all.

He glanced around frantically and caught sight of Alice Selwyn, who had been standing near the drink table, chatting with Remus and Frank. Alice was staring in his direction, an amused smile on her lips… amused, no doubt, because Alice was no longer Alice. She was Lily.

He whirled around to face the girl he had thought was Lily, but could now see was Alice. "You tricked me!" he said accusingly.

"Well, of course," said Lily, appearing next to them. "I knew _you _were going to try to trick _me. _I couldn't let you get away with that, could I?"

"Sorry, mate," said Lupin, coming up and waving his wand. James felt a rush of magic and knew he had been returned to his usual appearance.

The real Alice and Lupin headed over to Frank and Sirius, who both seemed to be dying of laughter. The real Lily and James were left standing next to each other.

"I must admit," said James, "that was pretty good."

A new song started to play.

"Ooh, the Firewhisky Tango," said Lily, grinning. "I love this one!"

"Me too," said James. "Want to dance?"

"Why not?" said Lily. Together, they began to twirl across the dance floor. Lily proved to be a much better partner than Alice: she was graceful and her movements were lightning-quick.

When the song ended, they stumbled off the stage, dizzy and breathless. Only when they had regained their balance did they realize they were standing in one of the dimly-lit corners half-concealed by potted plants.

Lily blushed. She was wearing her hair in a messy bun, a few wisps of red hair falling across her forehead, and her real dress was deep purple silk, with elbow sleeves and a knee-length skirt.

"You look good in purple," said James.

Her blush deepened. "Better than turquoise?" she asked teasingly.

"Definitely," said James.

They were standing so close together, almost touching. She was almost as tall as him. Slowly, very slowly, she reached up and put her hand on the back of his neck, pulling his face closer to hers. If either of them moved just a tiny bit, their lips would touch.

Lily inhaled sharply and took a step back, pulling away from him. "What am I doing?" she said, her eyes wide. She shook her head. "I'm sorry. I have no idea what I was thinking."

"Lily, wait," he said, but she was already gone.

James sat down on the floor.

Lily hurried off the stage, wiping at her eyes. She didn't know why she had such a sudden urge to cry.

"Pull yourself together, Lily," she ordered. "I don't know what the hell you were thinking. It must have been the butterbeer." She shook her head, took a deep breath, smoothed out her hair, and pulled her mask back on.


	10. Chapter 10: Caves

**AN: Thank you for the reviews. You have no idea how happy those make me! And especially thank you to ClashOfTheElements for your lovely comment. Also, I'm sorry that this chapter is short and slightly sad. Anyways, there are (I think) only a few more chapters left in the story! **

Chapter Ten

Some time towards the end of the month, Frank Longbottom, who had a guidance counselor as a mother, decided that James was depressed.

It was a rainy, gloomy Saturday afternoon when the subject came up. James was sitting in an armchair by the window, supposedly working on a Transfiguration essay. In reality, he was wondering if Lily Evans was ever going to speak to him again. Ever since the party, she had been treating him like he was wearing the Invisibility Cloak- all the time.

Frank dropped into the chair next to him. "James, my dear child," he said, in a half-kidding, half-serious voice. "You're moping. You need to go back to enjoying life."

"Yeah," said Sirius, who was lying on the floor, playing Exploding Snap with Peter. "You never _do _anything anymore, mate."

"I thought I was making progress," said James, referring to Lily. "And now it seems like she hates me more than ever."

"It's not you, mate," said Frank. "Alice says she's barely talking to anybody, and she's hardly eating."

"Why is she not eating?" asked James, concerned.

Frank shrugged. "Mary and Alice are getting really worried about her. And _we _are getting really worried about _you. _Why don't we do something fun? We could have a party."

"No parties," said James quickly.

"Okay, fine," said Frank. "How about that cave exploration thingy Flitwick's having?"

"Caves?" said James.

"Yeah, the ones down by the lake."

James, Sirius, and Peter exchanged a quick glance. They had already thoroughly explored those caves many times during the full moon. Still, maybe he _should _get out of the common room a bit more.

"Fine," he said.

"Great," said Frank. "Let's go."

The moment they arrived at the caves, Frank swore.

"What?" said James.

"I was hoping she wouldn't be here," said Frank, jerking his head at Lily, who was standing at the edge of the group of students, looking slightly lonely.

James could not help but stare a little. Lily looked even paler than usual. The golden freckles on her nose seemed to have vanished. Worse, there were pale purple shadows under her eyes, and she looked horribly thin.

James did not enjoy the cave exploration very much. Everything was damp and moldy, and he could not keep his eyes off of Lily. She looked so alone. He wanted to give her a hug, to help her, but he knew she would never let him.


	11. Chapter 11: Alone in the Owlery

Chapter Eleven

The owls were hooting mournfully.

Alone in the Owlery, Lily was scrunched up in a corner, her knees pulled to her chest, her arms wrapped around her legs. It was two weeks after the cave exploration.

Lily had liked the caves. They were damp and cool and quiet, an easy place to sit and think. She wished she could return to them, but the students were not allowed to, since many of the caves filled up with water from the lake at certain times of the day.

Seven years before, when Lily arrived at Hogwarts, she had thought it was the most wonderful place in the world. Severus by her side, she had explored and learned, so happy in her new home. She had forgotten about the world of Muggles and even her sister. She had never thought that she would feel lonely in the castle.

Now all she wanted to do was go home: go home, and persuade Petunia that they could be friends again. All she wanted was one kind word in her sister's voice, or a moment to forget that her best friend had betrayed her, but she could not have that.

Alone in the Owlery, Lily waited for her owl to return, but it never came.

Alone in the Owlery, Lily cried.

She was tired of being strong.

**AN: As** **I mentioned before, there are only a few chapters left. :( However, I am planning on starting a new chapter story, and I thought I might as well ask you all for suggestions on what characters I should focus on. Draco? Luna? Ginny? Lily Potter the second? Let me know in the comments! 3** **And, as always, thanks for reading!**


	12. Chapter 12: Slip

Chapter Twelve

James was not eating.

His plate was full of sausage and toast, but the moment Lily had appeared and sat down at the table, he found himself unable to take a single bite. She just looked so _sad. _The shadows under her eyes had gotten darker, and it looked like she had slept in her clothes.

The only moment she seemed to come to life was when the owls swept into the Great Hall. James watched carefully, wondering if she would receive anything, but no owl landed in front of her.

The moment they were gone, Lily's face crumbled. She leapt to her feet and ran from the Great Hall. Alice and Mary began to whisper together anxiously.

Hardly aware of what he was doing, James got to his feet. He was vaguely aware of Sirius and Remus saying his name, but they didn't matter. Without hesitation, he sprinted after Lily.

She ran down the corridor, red hair flying, and he chased after her, through the doors, across the lawn, towards the lake.

It was only then that James realized where she was headed: the entrance to the caves.

The entrance was cleverly concealed by a large pile of boulders, but Lily knew the spot to get in.

"Lily!" he yelled. "Lily, stop!"

She glanced up at him and then turned back to the boulders. In a moment, she had wiggled through the hole.

Cursing, James followed her.

The caves were dark and damp. The air smelled heavily of moss and wetness. The walls, floor, and ceiling were all made of slippery, gray stone.

James yanked his wand out of his pocket. "Lumos," he said, and the tip of the wand began to glow.

He could already hear Lily's footsteps fading, so he ran after her.

She was small, slender, and fast, a perfect sprinter, but she was not meant for long-distance or endurance. James, on the other hand, with his brutal Quidditch training, was slower, but stronger, and she was tiring. Already, he was drawing close to her.

"Leave me alone!" she shouted, gasping for breath. With a huge amount of effort, she put on one last burst of speed, sprinting around a corner.

The next thing James knew, he heard a scream and a thump. Instinct told him he should stop, but he was already flying around the corner,.

The next thing he knew, he was skidding across the wet stone, the wand flying from his hand. Briefly, as it flew into the air, everything was illuminated.

Then James felt himself falling. There was a sickening crack, then darkness.

"_James!" _

He awoke to the sound of someone screaming his name. His head was pounding. The screaming was not helping. Slowly, carefully, he sat up

The screaming stopped. "You're all right!" gasped the same voice.

Wherever he was, it was pitch-black. "Lily?" he guessed.

"Yes, it's me." He could hear her take a deep, shuddering breath. "There must have been some sort of hole in the tunnel floor. We both slipped and fell through. You hit your head on the edge, I think. Luckily there's some kind of plant on the ground."

James felt around. Sure enough, the ground was covered in some kind of plant.

"Do you have your wand?" asked Lily.

"I lost it when I fell."

"Me too."

"Do you think we could climb out the hole?"

"It was a long fall."

"So no."

"No," confirmed Lily.

There was a long moment of silence. "You know," said James, "I think that was the first time you actually called me 'James' instead of 'Potter.' It makes for a nice change."

Lily made a disbelieving sound. "Is that actually what you're thinking about now? How much progress you're making on winning me over?"

"That's usually what I'm thinking about," said James honestly.

There was a long pause.

"I wish I could see your expression right now," said Lily, through the darkness. "It's hard to tell how much you're joking."

"You're not a big believer, are you," said James, crawling across the floor. He reached a wall and felt it. Everything was covered in the same plant. He stood up, reaching up as high as he could. There was nothing but the plant.

"Not really," said Lily.

There was another moment of silence. Then James spoke.

"Lily, how do you think these plants get water?"

"Condensation," said Lily. "Or a deep root system. Or—

She stopped abruptly and swore.

"Or the cave fills up with water from the lake, due to weird magical reasons Flitwick did not explain very well?"

Lily would have spoken, but at that moment, they both felt it.

There was water rushing across their feet.

**AN: Such suspense! Anyways, this is the second or third to last chapter, so I probably will not post the next one until there are a few reviews. Also, remember, I'm going to start a new story, so any character suggestions are welcome in the comments! I'm currently leaning towards a Teddy/Victoire chapter story. Let me know your opinions!**


	13. Chapter 13: Yes

**AN: Last chapter! Thank you all so much for reading and reviewing. Please check out my next story "Despite Everything." It's about Teddy and Victoire. Yay! I'll live the link, which hopefully will work. Thanks for being amazing readers! Link:**  
><strong> s10463941/1/Despite-Everything **

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><p><strong>Chapter Thirteen<strong>

There was a horrible moment of silence.

"You have no idea how much I am hoping you can swim right now," said Lily.

James felt awful admitting it. "No. I can't."

"Of course not," murmured Lily absently. "You're not Muggleborn. You spend your summers playing Quidditch."

"So you can?" said James hopefully.

"I could when I was three," said Lily. "My sister hates swimming. We haven't gone in years."

"Maybe we should look for a way out," said James.

"Yes, that is probably a good idea."

They began to search, feeling their way across the plant-covered walls, searching for any kind of crack or opening. There was nothing.

The water was up to their knees

"Maybe we could just sort of float up to the top?" said James hopefully.

"The water is moving too much," said Lily. "And the hole wasn't that big. We'd have to be positioned exactly right."

"There's got to be some way—

"No, there doesn't," said Lily sharply. "There's no way out, James!"

"We—

"THERE'S NO WAY OUT!" shouted Lily. "WE'RE GOING TO DIE IN THIS STUPID HOLE AND THERE'S NOTHING WE CAN DO ABOUT IT!"

There was another long silence, and then James heard a sound ten times worse than the shouting.

Lily was crying.

"Hey," he said. "It's okay."

"It is _not _ok," she sobbed. "We're going to die and no one will ever know what happened to us and it's my fault."

"Come on," he said. "Where are you?"

To his surprise, she answered. "Over here."

He waded over to her, hesitated, and then sat down next to her.

"I'm sorry, James," she whispered through her tears.

James dared to wrap an arm around her. "It's not your fault," he said gently. "I was the one who chased after you."

"Why did you do that, anyways?" she said quietly.

The water was rising. James felt like ice was settling in his bones. "Why do you think I did it, silly?" he said. "I was worried about you."

"You were?"

"Lily," he said, like it was obvious. "You haven't been eating. You have dark circles under your eyes. You're way too skinny. You won't talk to Mary or Alice. I know something's wrong, and I'm worried."

"You still shouldn't have come after me," she whispered.

He pulled her a little closer, and when she did not object, he hid his face in her long, red hair. "Of course I should have," he whispered into her hair. "I wouldn't want you to be down here alone."

She took a shuddering breath. "But now you're going to die."

"Lily," he said gently, pulling away from her. "What would I do if you died and I didn't?"

And suddenly, she was sobbing harder than ever, both of his arms around her, her face pressed against his shoulder as she cried.

James was bewildered. "What did I say? Look, Lily, it's ok, I swear. This isn't your fault."

Lily sat up, hiccupping a little. "Do you want to know why I've been so sad lately?" she asked quietly.

He found her hand and squeezed it. "Yes."

She took a deep breath and began to speak.

"When I was little, my sister Petunia and I were best friends. We were inseparable. But then we found out that I was a witch."

Lily paused for a moment, as though she were steeling herself, and then went on.

"She turned on me. She called me a freak and said she was glad I was going away. She hated me. She still does. And I know that you never liked him, but Severus was my only friend, the only person who understood. We came to Hogwarts and spent so much time together, and we were inseparable until—until—

"Until he called you that word," said James quietly, thinking of the afternoon by the lake, when Snivelly had called her a mudblood.

"Yes," said Lily softly. "And now, when we're getting ready to leave Hogwarts, I feel like I have no one. Alice is already planning her _wedding, _for goodness sake, and besides, she's going to be an Auror. And Mary is moving to Spain for an internship at some kind of Wizarding Newspaper Company. And they both have at least one parent who's a witch or a wizard."

"You're worried about your parents," realized James. "Because of You-Know-Who."

"I've been sending Petunia owls, trying to convince her to let me protect her," said Lily. "But she won't respond to any of them. She's got some horrible boyfriend now, and I think she's trying to pretend that I don't exist."

A sudden thought appeared in his mind. "Lily, is that part of the reason—

"Part of the reason I wouldn't say yes to you?" said Lily, laughing a little, despite her tears. The water was still rising. "Yes, it is. I mean, up until this year, I really did hate you. You were horrible. Please take offense at that."

"Taken," said James.

"Thank you. But anyways, this year…

She trailed off, turning to face him. "This year you were nice to me. I thought that maybe you actually liked me. But it didn't matter, anyways, because I was certain that you would abandon me."

"Like your sister," said James. "And Severus." The water was rising all around them, icy and terrifying, but in that moment, he didn't care.

"Yes," said Lily, and now her voice was filled with wonder. "But you, James Potter, are a marvel. You never gave up, no matter how many times I said no."

And suddenly, somehow, their arms were wrapped around each other, and there, in the dark cave rapidly filling with water, they were kissing.

Her mouth was soft against his, his fingertips woven into her hair. The kiss seemed to last for all eternity. When they broke apart, Lily kept her arms around him, and he held her like he had wanted to do for a long time, her head resting on his shoulder as he comforted her.

"I really am sorry I got you into this," she whispered.

"It's all right," he said gently. "Besides, that's probably the source of my affection for you, your stupidly adventurous nature."

Suddenly, Lily pulled away from him.

"What is it?" he asked.

"Source," she breathed. "The source of… source! James, the source!"

"Um… I'm lost."

"The source of the water!" Lily almost shouted. "It's coming in from somewhere! There has to be a hole somewhere!"

"You're brilliant!" exclaimed James.

"Which way is the water pushing us?" asked Lily.

"This way," said James. "Back towards this wall."

"So the hole must be coming from the opposite side!" said Lily. "That's the last part we searched! I bet by the time we got there, it was already hidden by the water! Come on!"

Together, they half-walked, half-swim to the over side of the cave. The water was nearly at their necks.

"I'll go under and look," said Lily. "Keep a hold of me so I don't get pushed away." She dove under the water. James kept his hand on her back as she moved along the wall. _Please, please, please, _he thought.

Suddenly, she burst out of the water, gasping for air. "I found it!" she said. "I found it!"

"What if it's a long tunnel?" said James, suddenly worried. "We'll drown trying to get out!"

"No choice," said Lily. "Take three deep breaths. I'll go first. Hold on to me and follow."

"I should go first," said James.

"I'm smaller," said Lily, "and I know where it is. There's no time to fight about it. Three deep breaths."

Together, they breathed, in and out, three times.

"Ready?" said Lily.

"Ready," he responded. He took one last breath and followed her under the water. She was pulling him through a hole and he was crawling, keeping one hand on the back of her ankle so he didn't lose her.

He was surrounded by water. They had barely been under for ten seconds and he was already starving for air. He resisted the urge to open his mouth and breathe. Swallowing water would only make it worse. _Please, _he thought. _Please. _Colored lights were starting to dance across his vision, and he thought he saw a brightness ahead of him. He was going to die. Lily was going to die.

The brightness grew closer and closer. He felt himself fading. He knew he was about to faint.

And then he was falling. He opened his eyes and found that he was still underwater, but it was no longer dark. Somewhere high above, the sun was shining. Next to him, Lily was fighting, stroking upwards, her red hair billowing around her. He fought his way upwards, reaching, pulling. _So close, _he thought.

And then, with his last burst of strength, he was out of the water, gasping for air, and there was Lily, breathing next to him. Alive.

Together, they made their way the shallow end of the lake and collapsed together. It was a long time before either of them could speak.

Finally, when she had regained her breath, Lily moved closer and leaned her head onto his shoulder. He wrapped his arms around her.

James knew that there were things to be worrying up, explanations to be made, and wands to be found. But at that moment, he didn't care. There was only one thing that he cared about.

"Lily Evans," he said, turning to face her. His brown eyes met her green ones, and he felt that same flutter he always got when he looked at her. "Seeing as we have survived a near-death experience together, I believe I have found the courage to ask one more time." He took a deep breath. "Would you like to go with me to Hogsmeade next weekend?"

Lily made a face. "Why would I do that?"

He felt the air leave his lungs.

And then, suddenly, she smiled. "Maybe you should ask _one_ more time."

James breathed again, and smiled. He decided to keep it simple. "Will you go out with me?"

The sun was sparkling on the lake as she opened her mouth to speak. It was a simple word she spoke, a small word, but it was a word he had waited seven years to hear.

"Yes," said Lily Evans.

And just then, it seemed to both of them that there was no better word in the entire world.

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><p><strong>AN: Thank you, again, for reading! Let me know what you thought of it and check out Despite Everything: <strong>  
>s10463941/1/Despite-Everything


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